Pushpa 2: What worked for Allu Arjun-starrer to stay relevant even after a month of its release?

The craze for Pushpa began back in 2021 when the first part of the film was released. The story of a small labourer somewhere in Telangana becoming the controller of the entire red sandalwood syndicate stole the hearts of the masses. Its songs “Srivalli”, “Oo Antava”, and “Saami” even went viral across the nation.

Pushpa 2 became one of the most anticipated sequels since then. Having understood their core target, the marketing team of Pushpa 2 just knew how to impress their loyal fans. Their decision to organise a grand trailer launch event in the state of Bihar worked well for the makers.

“Oraganising trailer event in Bihar was the team’s masterstroke to convey to the audience that it was a mass film,” said film critic and trade expert Taran Adarsh in an interaction with SCREEN.

He added, “Allu Arjun is an amazing actor. Pushpa became a brand over the years due to the performance of the actors, action, songs, and its punchlines. Allu Arjun is not just a great actor but also a daring actor. An actor of his stature wearing saree, and bangles, not a lot of actors are comfortable doing something so daring. His action scenes in sarees were something people enjoyed. To fight a group of people with his hands and legs tied… Allu Arjun is something else. ”

Previously, when Pushpa The Rise released alongside Spiderman – No Way Home in 2021, the film still emerged as the best performer at the box office. The hype continued for three years, adding up to the success of Pushpa 2, despite many acknowledging that the storyline and songs of the prequel was better than the sequel.

“Nothing is impossible for Pushpa. Only he can change the Chief Minister of a state for just a picture for his wife. Though the storyline was not very realistic, people enjoyed the entire process. Afterall, it is cinema and there is no limit to one’s imagination. Not everything they show has to be real, as long as it is entertaining,” said Adarsh.

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Karan Taurani, who is a movie research analyst, agreed with Taran Adarsh. Karan said, “The massy nature of the movie worked quiet well for the makers. It appeals both Hindi speaking audience and other regional places. The decision to organise an event in Bihar and watch the trailer with thousands of fans was a statement made by the makers to show it is a massy film.”

He added, “Another reason why the film worked so well in the Hindi market is because the audience here have become very big fans of regional stars. They have explored a lot of regional content on OTT and television, which has been showcased over the years. The streaming of Hindi dubbed versions of these South movies over the years has also contributed to regional cinema doing well in both the markets. The trend is only increasing day by day.”

The strategy of taking permission for extra shows in the Telugu-speaking states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, also worked well for Pushpa 2: The Rule. There was also a special approval for increasing the ticket prices in Telangana until December 23. A benefit show was added on the night of December 4, which even led to the tragic death of a woman who was there with her son and husband to watch the movie. Her son is critical. This incident even saw Allu Arjun being arrested. He was eventually granted bail.

The success of Pushpa 2 was followed by another controversy, which had upset people from the film industry. It came to light that the makers of the film had monopolised multiplexes and made them sign a contract that said no other movies can be screened in any of its theatres for the first ten days of its release. A source from a multiplex chain confirmed the news to Zoom, and said, “We will have to pay penalty if we fail to do so.”

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This irked filmmakers and producers, including Vikramaditya Motwane who expressed concern and slammed the makers for making smaller movies suffer. He claimed award-winning film like All We Imagine As Light had zero shows in certain multiplexes, while there were about 30-35 shows scheduled for Pushpa 2 alone.

However, trade experts believe that the makers didn’t have to go to such extreme lengths as the film already had a loyal fanbase and it would have done well even without these controversial strategies.

Pushpa 2 completes one month in theatres, and continues to do well. The movie has earned over Rs 1800 crore and is just Rs 300 crore away from becoming the highest-grossing Indian film, surpassing Dangal.